Sole margin cementing machine



July 25, 1944. W. l.. MaCKENZIE SOLE MARGIN CEMENTNG' MACHINE Filed Dec. 2T, 1940 30 I//\/ VEN m@ Patented `Iuly 25, 1944 SOLE MARGEN CEMENTING MACHINE Wilbur L. MacKenzie, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey v Application December 27, 1940, Serial No. 371,948

12 claims. (c1. sii-12) This invention relates to coating machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for applying a'marginal band of cement to a shoe sole.

In the manufacture of shoes in which the sole is attached to the upper by means of cement, itis customary to apply to the sole a marginal band Vextending from the heel breast line around the Whole of the forepart and the shank portion. For best results, this applied band must be uniform in Width throughout its extent and of substantially even thickness. Theproblem is considerably accentuated When the sole to be treated has been reduced in the shank portions, thus producing breaks in the surface contour substantially at the ball line over Which the nozzle must pass. It Will be understood that the uniformity which is desired in the application of sole-attaching cements requires the nozzle to remain in Contact with the Work throughout substantially the Whole extent of its treatment and, While less difliculty may be experienced in carrying the nozzle from the reduced shank portion to the level forepart portion, there is a very considerable tendency for the nozzle to jump'over a portion of the Work when it passes from the level forepart portion to the shank portion, attheother side of the sole.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an improved machine which Will be simple and inexpensive to construct and by means of which a band of coating material Will be applied, in the treatment of Work of irregular surface contour, of uniform thickness and Width throughout all of its extent.

Nozzle flexibility to effect an even treatment of uneven surfaces has been successfully attained, Without the utilization of rubber-like material, by providing an articulated construction made up of a series of yieldably mounted delivery members as shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,177,666, granted October 31, 1939, upon the application of Wilbur L. MacKenzie et al. Furthermore, the presentation of soles of varying sizes and outline to a rigid applying member may very successfully be accomplished by machines of the type illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,042,479, granted June 2, 1936, upon the application of Carl A. Newhall, Those machines have feed mechanisms of a type such that successive portions of the margin of a sole may be automatically presented to an operating point and, by reason of the cross feed action, the handling of the sole is substantially automatic, requiring no care upon the part ofthe `struction made up of like parts.

operator after the Work has been presented to the machine. As explained in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,293,209, granted August 18, 1942, upon my earlier application, this articulated nozzle of Patent No. 2,177,666 may not be applied bodily to a machine of the, NeWhall type Without requiring changes in the nozzle construction such as the utilization of nozzle delivery members of varying lengths.

' In view of this, a feature of the invention resides in the provision of a simplified nozzle con- As herein illustrated, this construction embodies a series of plates which may be alike, thus reducing the cost of manufacture. They are mounted for sliding movement substantially vertically With-respect to 'entering said passages, thus reducing the cost and upkeep expense as compared lto flexible tube constructions.

To obtain a band of uniform width around the margin of a sole With a feed mechanism of the NeWhall type utilizing two gages which are successively encountered, the nozzle openings must occupy a particular relation to the feed mechanism, which is fully explained inthe above-mentioned Newhall patent. Furthermore, for best results, this relation should preferably be changed in accordance with the contour of the toe end, as pointed or blunt toes are treated in the machine. Still another feature of the invention resides in an improved nozzle mounting providing for adjustment around an axis adjacent to the last-encountered gage point and by means of which the desired nozzle position may be readily obtained Without interference between the nozzle and the feed mechanism.

These and other features of the invention Will be best understood from a consideration of the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of that portion of thev machine which includes the feed mechanism and the nozzle;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of the nozzle and its supporting bracket;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are .horizontal sections through the nozzle in two different positions showing its varying relation to the feedI mechanism in the treatment of soles with pointed toes and blunt toes respectively.

The machine comprises a hollow frame l0 within which are enclosed a coating supply mechanism and a driving mechanism, not herein shown but a full description of which will be found in the Newhall Patent No. 2,042,479, mentioned above. On the outside of this frame is bolted an arm I2 Within which there is journaled a shaft I4 carrying at its outer end a narrow feed wheel I6 which is positioned to engage the upper side of the work to move it substantially horizontally. vA cooperating feed wheel I8 engaging the lower surface of the work is mounted on a shaft which is journaled in an arm 22 tiltably mounted upon pivot screws one of which is shown at 24. The shafts I4 and 20 are interconnected by pinions 26 and 28 which are driven from a power shaft 29 through gears 30. The tilting of the lower arm 22 to cause the feed rolls to grip the work is effected by a treadle, not shown. which is connected to an inward extension 32 of said arm. A yieldably mounted supporting roll 34 beside the end of the lower feed wheel 8 is supported on an arm 36 pivoted to the arm 22.

The guiding of a sole S through the machine is effected by gages 40 and 42 which are adjustably mounted upon the arms I2 and 22 respectively. The gage 40 -has upper and lower guiding lips 44 (Fig. 4) and a work-supporting lip 46 also carried by the arm 22 is positioned adjacent to and beneath the gage 42. The direction of rotation of the feed wheels is such that a sole presented to the machine first encounters the gage 40 at a contact point 48 and then encounters the gage 42 which it contacts approximately at the point 50. These spaced points of contact lie along a line which is oblique both to the end face 52 of the upper feed wheel I0 and to its axis and thereby determine a line of feed extending between said contact points. The arrangement results in a cross feed action which operates to hold the sole in contact with the gages and to produce an automatic feed requiring no attention upon the part of the operator once the sole has been presented to the machine and clamped by the said feed wheels.

The application of a band of cement 54 of uniform width around the margin of the sole is effected by means of a nozzle 60 which is carried by a tiltable support comprising a. forked portion 82 mounted on the arm I2 and an adjustable portion 64 secured to the first portion by a screw 66. The elevation of this support above the arm I2 is determined by a stop screw 68. Upon the portion 64, is a flange I0 (Fig. 2) having an arcuate rib 'I2 cooperating with a similarly shaped recess on the under side of a nozzle supporting bracket 14. This bracket has an arcuate slot 'I6 permitting relative adjustment of the two parts about a vertical axis after which they are clamped together by means of a bolt '|8. On this supporting bracket "I4, are horizontally projecting arms 80 and 82 joined by an arched portion 84 and providing a support for outturned flanges 86 and 88 at the upper end of a nozzle block 80 the body of which lies between the spaced arms 80 and 82 and is positioned by means of an abutment screw S2 in contact with a boss 93 upon a member |34. to be later described. A bifurcated clamp S4 mounted on a rod 96 extending through the block 010 bears against the under surfaces of the arms 80 and 82 to clamp the nozzle in position thereupon and is urged into clamping relation by a screw 90.

The nozzle block 90 has a recess |00 (Fig. 3)

to receive a series of identical plate delivery members |02 each of which is provided with a slot |04 to receive upper and lower rods |06 and |08 extending across the recess. These guide the delivery members |02 for vertical sliding movement and limit the extent of that movement. The delivery members |02 are yieldably held in contact with the upper surface of a sole to be treated by means of spring ngers ||0 on a plate |2 attached by screws to the upper surface of a flange ||4 extending forwardly from said nozzle block. Each of these plates |02 has a shoulder ||6 between which and the work-contacting face ||8 is a passage |20 terminating in a delivery opening |22 and parallel to said slot |04. Conducting coating material under pressure to said delivery openings are rigid tubes |24 slidably engaging the passages and hence parallel both to said passages and to the slots 04. The tubes are secured at their upper ends to a block |26 having a recess |28 which, when the block ls mounted on the nozzle block by means of screws, communicates with a passage |30 in said block 90.

Coating material is supplied to this passage |30 by a pump, not shown, which forces it through a flexible hose |32 (Fig. 1) coupled to an apertured member |34 which is screwed to the upper surface of the block S0 in communication with the passage |30 therein and which has a turnable valve |36. 'Ihls valve is connected to a rod |38 which is joined by an arrangement, not shown, to the treadle rod so that the valve is opened whenever the lower .arm 22 is raised.

For best results in producing a band of uniform width around the margin of the sole, the line of nozzle openings |22 should extend from a point adjacent to the last-encountered contact point 50 to a point approximately at the center of the turning movement of sharply, ccnvexly curved portions of a particular sole. This desired relationship is set forth in the Newhall Patent No. 2,042,479, above-mentioned, and will be found on page '7, lines 25 to 5| of that specification. The arrangement described in the Newhall specication chose a line for the nozzle openings representing the average condition. whereas with the improved arrangement herein described, it is possible to loosen the bolt 'i8 (Fig. 2) and then to adjust the line of nozzle openings to get the desired relationship for sharp toed soles S (Fig. 4) and blunt toed sole S (Fig. 5), and it will be seen that the center of the curved rib 'I2 upon the supporting bracket is positioned at a point |40 (Figs. 2 and 4) which lies in a vertical line normal to the plane of the work and is approximately where the leading corner of the work-contacting surface of the innermost plate |02 approaches the unobstructed face 52 of the upper feed wheel I6 and hence lies alongside that end face.

In the use of the machine, the operator will present that portion of a sole adjacent to the heel breast line at one side and press it against the gages 40 and 42 whereupon, by depressing the treadle, the sole will be gripped between the feed wheels IB and I8 and carried automatically around to present successive portions of its margin to the nozzle. The individual plates of the nozzle apply stripes merging to form a band and the action is continued until the applied band of cement 54 reaches the heel breast line at the other side of the sole. During this traversing movement, the sole will be fed automatically and, because of the correct relationship between the line of nozzle openings and the feeding mechanism, the band will be of uniform width and, at the same time, the yieldably mounted delivery plates |02 constituting the nozzle will slide over the breaks in the contour of the upper surface of the sole and dispose a band of cement of uniform thickness regardless of that contour.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a coating machine for applying a marginal band of coating material to work pieces, a nozzle comprising a support, a plurality of delivery plates arranged side by side and each provided with a passage terminating in an outlet opening, means on said support guiding said plates for rectilinear movement toward and away from a piece of work presented thereto, and individual supply tubes mounted on said support with their axes in unvarying relation to that support, said tubes being connected to said passages in all positions of said plates whereby coating material may be passed through said movable delivery plates to the work without bending the tubes.

2. In a coating machine for applying a marginal band of coating material to work pieces, a nozzle comprising a supporting bracket, a plurality of applying members beside one another and provided with passages terminating in delivery openings in the work-contacting faces of said members, the supporting bracket and a plurality of the applying members having cooperating guiding means slidable relatively to one another for a distance as great as the distance which said faces move and arranged to determine the direction of the sliding movement of the members toward and away from a piece of work presented thereto said cooperating guiding means having interengaging parts to limit the extent of that movement. means urging said members toward the Work to engage the surface thereof which is to be coated, a member for supplying coating material. and individual supply tubes connecting said member with the passages, said tubes being alined with and fitting the passages in said applying members whereby unimpeded sliding movement of the applying members is permitted in accordance with the thickness of the work.

3. In a coating machine for applying a marginal band of coating material to work pieces of varying thicknesses, a nozzle comprising a support, a series of applying members slidably mounted on said support and each having a passage theerin terminating in a delivery opening in the work-engaging face of the member, a series of tubes slidably engaging the passages in said applying members for supplying coating material thereto, and means for guiding said applying members for sliding movement relatively to said support in fixed directions such that the axis of each passage always coincides with the axis of its associated tube.

4. In a coating machine, a nozzle comprising a support, a plurality of delivery plates arranged side by side and provided with passages extending to delivery openings in the work-contacting surfaces of the plates, said support and plates having cooperating guiding members one of which is elongated, said members determining the paths of sliding movement of the plates on the support, and supply tubes entering said passages having their axes parallel to said elongated Cil guiding member thereby to permit sliding movement of the plates without bending the tubes.

5. In a coating machine, a nozzle comprising a supporting member and a delivery `member having a passage terminating in an outlet opening, said members being relatively slidable, one of said relatively slidable members having an elongated slot and the other of said members having pins spaced at a less distance than the length of the slot and passing therethrough, and a rigid tube supplying the passage of the delivery member, both the tube and passage being parallel to said slot.

6. In a coating machine for applying a marginal band of coating material to work pieces of varying thicknesses, a nozzle comprising a support, a series of applying members slidably mounted on said support and each having a passage therein terminating in a delivery opening in the work-engaging face of the member, a series of tubes on the support slidably engaging the passages in said applying members for supplying coating material thereto, and cooperating guides upon said support and said members, providing for sliding movement of the members toward and away from the work and preventing movement of them in directions transverse to the axes of the tubes.

7. In a coating machine, work-feeding means comprising a feed wheel having an unobstructed end face, spaced gages positioned to determine a line of feed of the work extending obliquely with respect to the unobstructed end face of said feed wheel, a nozzle, and a support for said nozzle adjustable about an axis normal to that face of the work engaged by said feed wheel. said axis being located adjacent to the work-engaging face of that one of the gages which is spaced from the other gage in the direction of feeding movement of the work.

8. In a coating machine, work-feeding means comprising a feed wheel having a substantially unobstructed end face, gages positioned to determine a line of feed extending in a substantially horizontal plane obliquely with respect to the end face of the feed wheel, a nozzle, and a nozzle-supporting bracket adjustably mounted on said machine for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis positioned beside the end face of the feed wheel.

9. In a sole margin coating machine, workfeeding means comprising a feed wheel, spaced gages determining a line of feed extending at an oblique angle to the axis of the feed wheel. a supporting bracket on said machine, and a nozzle carried by the bracket comprising a delivery plate having a work-contacting surface the leading corner of which is adjacent to said feed wheel, said bracket being positioned on the machine to hold the nozzle adjacent to the feed wheel and being mounted for adjustment about an axis adjacent to the leading inner corner of the work-contacting surface of said plate.

10. In a machine for progressively applying a marginal stripe of coating material to a work piece, applying means, a carrier therefor, workfeeding means to move the work piece in substantially one plane, and guiding means, said feeding and guiding means cooperating to determine the line of feed of a work piece progressively past said applying means, and interengaging parts one on the carrier and one on an element fixed relatively to said carrier providing for adjustment of said carrier about an axis in another plane substantialy at right angles to said firstmentioned plane thereby to vary the angular relation between the applying means and the line of feed of the work to cause stripes of uniform width to be applied to work pieces of different contours.

11. That improvement in coating machines in which the margins oi soles are substantially automatically presented progressively to an applying nozzle having an outlet, along a predetermined substantially horizontal path thereby to spread a band of coating material of uniform width, comprising a nozzle and a nozzle-supporting device, interengaging members on said device and on an element xed relatively to said device, and means for connecting said members providing for adjustment of the device about a substantially vertical axis to vary the angular relation between the outlet of the nozzle and the path of movement of the work to permit a uniform band to be applied to soles of diering contours.

12. In a machine for progressively extruding a band of coating material, a nozzle applying the material upon the margin of a shoe sole moved past said nozzle, a nozzle carrier member, a supporting member, and means for interconnecting said members including contacting curved surfaces thereon restricting relative adjustment of said members, the center of curvature of said surfaces substantially coinciding with a line normal to the surface of the work and extending through that portion of the nozzle which is adapted to coat the outer margin of the band upon the sole.

WILBUR L. MAcKENZIE. 

